The right to cast the first stone

[Ian]

Deuteronomy 22 v21a:

then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones

But in the New Testament Jesus calls a halt on one occasion. Paraphrased: "none of you have the right to cast the first stone".

But that being so, why make the law in the first place, if it is not enforceable by sinful humanity? How can a mob of self-righteous religious fanatics ever act objectively? How can you throw a stone at someone and manage to do it dispassionately and without moral outrage in your hypocritical heart?

This question arose in my head after watching this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12294189
None of those men would have the right either, They are also all sinners in their different ways.
And if even one of them does it with glee, does the whole thing not become a farce? Look at the face at 0.55.
Can any or all of the (lay) executioners truly throw a stone with the sorrowful heart of a chastising father "sorry, this hurts me more than it hurts you"? Or was (what God must surely have known in advance to be) the retributive heart of a lay executioner no hindrance to the fulfilling of the law?

[Perry]

Note: I heeded all the warnings and did NOT watch the video.

No one would have had any authority, humanly, to stone anyone. Any authority would have come from God. Think of it more as God's right to use human agents to carry out His will. He can do it that way if He wants to.

[Ian]

I agree Perry. but it doesn`t quite answer my question. There are those who have it in them to pick up a stone and throw it at someone`s head, and there are those that don`t. I would suggest that only the latter category are in a position to do it on behalf of God. But of course they can`t. So it`s left to those who have it in them, mostly likely the bloodthirsty righteously indignant types you would have seen in the video. Why would the Jews have been much different from the mob in the video?
Would it not have been less morally sordid for everyone to stand around in a wide circle (far enough away to avoid ground charge) and wait for the condemned to be struck by a lightning bolt out of the blue sky?

[Homer]

So God commands morally sordid behavior?

Numbers 15:32-36
New King James Version (NKJV)

32. Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34. They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.

35. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36. So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.

We seem to continually struggle with the Old Testament. But God did not repent and become a follower of Jesus.

[Ian]

Sheesh, Homer, thanks for jumping to conclusions. My question was about bloodthirsty stone-throwers, not about God. Tell me that the Jews would not have behaved in their attitude like the Taliban in the video and I`ll put it to bed.

[Homer]

Sorry Ian, but I also chose not to view the video so I apparently missed your point. If I had watched the video it might have been obvious.

There is a difference, I think, between being righteously indignant about immoral and/or rebellious behaviour and taking pleasure in the execution of the person God has judged as deserving death. I now assume you are referring to the latter.

In your OP you wrote:

But that being so, why make the law in the first place, if it is not enforceable by sinful humanity? How can a mob of self-righteous religious fanatics ever act objectively? How can you throw a stone at someone and manage to do it dispassionately and without moral outrage in your hypocritical heart?

Are you saying that God should not have required the death penalty for certain acts because there are no sinless people to "throw the first stone"? There are problems with use of the story of the woman caught in adultery, John 8:1-11, foremost being that it appears to be an interpolation. And if it is not, where was the man the woman was caught with? Were one or more of her accusers guilty of same sin? We do not know.

[jarrod]

I have always interpreted Jesus' action of writing on the ground with his finger to be an act that revealed something to the accusers that caused them to drop their stones. The Law was suppose to provide the Jews with God's Holy standard and, while insufficient for forgiveness, was meant to be a schoolmaster showing the need for the Christ. So for those who were suppose to humbly obey and follow God, He gave provisions for purging unholiness from their nation. Instead, I think the Jewish leaders used the Law and their unique status as "God's people" to condemn others (rather than see their own condemnation). Anyway, that is the attitude that I believe Jesus was addressing.

Deuteronomy 22 v21a:

then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones

But in the New Testament Jesus calls a halt on one occasion. Paraphrased: "none of you have the right to cast the first stone".

[kaufmannphillips]

Homer wrote:
We seem to continually struggle with the Old Testament. But God did not repent and become a follower of Jesus.

[Ian]

Just as an aside - as regards the Numbers 15 mention - I found this very helpful: http://christianthinktank.com/sticksnstones.html
But the fact is - the Bible often reports thinks factually only, leaving out background details about motives and attitudes of heart for example. As a result it leaves itself open to ridicule by those inclined that way. I don`t wish to be in that camp. I was relieved to find that link. I would be equally relieved to know that the Jews would have been totally unlike the Taliban in that video. I`m closer than I was two days ago but I`ve not quite reached that point yet.